Mountains of Tree Debris in Cheshire

Collection of woody debris from the October storm is about 70 percent complete, with the pick up service scheduled to finish by Dec. 23.

Town crews are expected to finish their collection on Saturday in the third section of town; west of Rt. 10 and north of Rt. 68.

Director of Public Works Joseph Michelangelo on Tuesday that collections in the final section of town; quadrant four, which is east of Rt. 10 and south of Rt. 68, will this weekend. He said the final section is the smallest area, so pick up should proceed quickly.

To reduce the volume of the mountains of woody debris, the council approved a $52,500 contract for wood grinding from Morin Logging Inc., of Durham.

Town officials expect to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for some, if not all, of the expenses releate to storm clean up.

"(The contractor) will start as soon as Thursday to chip and grind at Bartlem Park," Michelangelo said. The pile of debris there is largest town, he added. The town has also placed collected debris at Mixville and Quinnipiac Parks. 

The amount of debris to be chipped is about 14,000 cubic yards, Michelangelo wrote in a Dec. 8 memo to the council. "It will take about three weeks to get it all ground. We'll leave the pile there until spring," he added.

The town expects to be able to place some of the resulting mulch in parks and other areas, and will look for a buyer to purchase the remaining supply.